Star Cruises enters Shanghai
with SuperStar Gemini
The ship is today scheduled to embark on a
series of inaugural cruises from Penang
around South-east Asia and Hong Kong.
From April to October, the ship will homeport at Shanghai, where it will offer itineraries to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, the
last pending approval.

Wares for sale in Batu Ferringhi

12 Cambodia-Thailand joint visa
gets off the ground

10

Panorama Malaysia eyes outbound business to the US,
China

14 India-Japan connectivity enhanced

11 Park Hotel Group to manage

300 room hotel at Farrer Park

Tourism Asia | January 2013

3

contents jan

16

20 TripAdvisor is PATA’s new Strategic Partner

Chiang Mai heads for Year of
MICE

Chiang Mai will campaign for business tourists under the
banner of “Year of MICE 2013.”

22 Celebrity Cruises launches
Asian season

Celebrity Cruises has recently launched her Asian
season with Celebrity Millennium.

18 UNWTO endorses ecotourism

24 Ascott Waterplace Surabaya
to open in 2014

26 Etihad launches Wi-Fly, Qantas
axes Wi-Fi

4

Tourism Asia | January 2013

CAMBODIA

JAPAN

MAURITIUS

UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

CHINA

KENYA

PHILIPPINES

UNITED KINGDOM

HOLYLAND TOURS

MACAU

SINGAPORE

U.S.A

HONG KONG

MALAYSIA

SRI LANKA

VIETNAM

INDIA

MALDIVES

THAILAND

COMBO TOURS

From the editor’s desk
Managing Editor

:

Sreekumara Menon

India is probably the ultimate destination of

Group Editor

:

Janeesh Jalaluddin

all kinds of pilgrims following any faith

Executive Editor

:

Kriebel George

around the world. The great religions like

Photo Editor

:

Madhu Menon

Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, Christi-

Art Editor

:

Dileep

anity and Sikhism are the integral part of

Senior Correspondent :

Subhash Ghosh

Indian culture and heritage whose values

Senior Sub Editor

:

Anish Kumar

and

Editorial Team

:

Anu S

soil and the sky of India.

faiths

are

mingled

with

the

air,

:

Viji V S

Marketing

:

Suresh Kumar S

Legal Advisor

India is the land of gods and diverse religions where lies the

:

Adv. Preeja K S

Financial Controller

serenity of its heritage. India is dotted with pilgrimages. Great

:

Abhilash S P

religions like Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism have originated
on the Indian soil. Over 80% of India's population practices

Hinduism, the ancient indigenous religion of India which has a
wide variety of forms and expressions. Muslims constitute
about 10% of the Indian population. Other significant religious
groups in India include Jains, and Christians. Buddhism is
almost extinct in the land of its birth, but many exiled Tibetan
Buddhists now make their home in India, including His Holiness
the Dalai Lama. India's famed spirituality has made it a popular
destination for spiritually-inclined travelers..
There are a number of Tour operators in the country that offer
various pilgrimage tour packages to tourists. These operators
also arrange for the stay, the food and other comforts for the
pilgrimage. Any pilgrimage tour in India is sure to make you
feel elated. These pilgrimage tours are sure to provide the tourists with peace and tranquility.
Pilgrimage tourism as a business has also become big in India
in the recent times. There is no denying to the fact that Indians
are religious and religion is a part of their life. The boom in the

spots often. A lot of people from across different parts of the
tions.

Edited and Published by:
Sreekumara Menon
For Advertisements: marketing@tourismasiaonline.info
The news and Advertisements published herein have been collected from
various source, which are considered to be reliable. Readers are however
requested to verify the facts before making business decisions using the same.
No part of this magazine may be reproduced without written permission from the
publisher. All rights reserved. Copyright 2010

The ship is today scheduled to embark on
a series of inaugural cruises from Penang
around South-east Asia and Hong Kong.
From April to October, the ship will homeport at Shanghai, where it will offer itineraries to Japan, South Korea and Taiwan,
the last pending approval. Shanghai
marks the cruise operator ’s second
Chinese destination, following Sanya last
year.
When asked how Star Cruises was dealing
with increased competition within the
Asian cruise market, David Chua, president of Genting Hong Kong, replied:
“Rather than (targeting) a bigger slice of
the pie, there is a need for cruise lines to
come together and enlarge the pie.”

Chua also pinpointed the MICE market as
one sector to focus on, as cruises were
viable alternatives in the light of rising
hotel rates. Star Cruises is also looking to
target weddings.
As for Resorts World Manila – also operated by Genting Hong Kong – he
remarked that the integrated resort had
its “hands full” managing the 2,000 rooms
expected to come online with the opening

of Hilton Manila in December 2012, as
well as the planned debuts of Westin
Manila Bayshore in mid-2016 and Sheraton Manila Hotel in early 2017.
Emphasising the untapped potential
within the intra-ASEAN market, Chua said:
“The Philippines has the second highest
GDP growth after China within the region,
and Filipinos are a common sight at
Universal Studios Singapore.”

While declining to reveal Star Cruises’
marketing
strategy
and
training
programmes for travel consultants for the
coming year, he added that the company
would leverage its experience as an Asian
cruise operator to set itself apart.

08

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Events

Panorama Malaysia eyes outbound
business to the US, China
KUALA Lumpur-based DMC Panorama
Tours Malaysia has expanded its portfolio to include outbound leisure business

to

the

US

and

China.

Panorama’s managing director, Richard
Vuilleumier, said: “We see US outbound
as a big potential market with the
depreciation of the US currency. (The
US) is a slightly more affordable destination compared to Europe but the
advantage it has over Europe is that
everybody

speaks

English.

After

September 11, demand from Malaysians for a US holiday dropped but it
started to pick up again (in 2012).”
China is also another destination the
DMC is hoping to push for, commenc-

“Our sister company Panorama Tours

and we plan to leverage on the com-

ing sales of series tours last September.

Beijing recently opened in November,

pany to build our network and to
handle tours and ground arrangements to Beijing and other parts of
China,”

he

added.

In 2012, Panorama Tours Malaysia
recorded a 50 per cent year-on-year
growth in its overall business from the
previous year, and Vuilleumier believes
business will pick up further after the
Malaysian general elections this year.
The company, set up in 2009 as a
subsidiary of Panorama Tours International, recently moved to its new fivestorey office and now boasts a a staff
strength of 25

10

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

Park Hotel Group to manage 300
room hotel at Farrer Park

RB Capital Hotels has appointed Park
Hotel Group to manage its latest hotel at
Farrer Park. The proposed full-service
hotel, to be operated under the upscale
‘Park Hotel’ brand and will comprise 300
rooms and is slated to open in the first
half of 2015.
Situated above Farrer Park Mass Rapid
Transit (MRT) station, the new-build Park
Hotel Farrer Park is in the heart of Little
India, a bustling lifestyle enclave that has
traditionally been the focal point for
Singapore’s local and expatriate Indian
community.

District (CBD).”
Allen Law, chief executive of Park Hotel
Group, said, “It is an exciting period of
growth for Park Hotel Group as we
further widen our presence in Singapore.
I thank Kishin for the confidence and
trust he has in us, and I am confident that
we are able to contribute positively to the
mutually successful partnership by deliv

ering both hotel
service excellence.”

performance

and

“Being headquartered here, Singapore is
definitely an important market to us and
we hope to locate Park-branded hotels in
the strategic areas and key hubs of the
country. Singapore is also a launch pad
for us to grow our hotel management
services to foray into overseas markets
such as China, Malaysia, Indonesia and
other parts of Southeast Asia.”

Describing the choice of location for his
latest hotel, Kishin R K, the head of RB
Capital Group and RB Capital Hotels,
said, “Park Hotel Farrer Park will serve the
fast-growing population of business and
leisure travellers seeking a high-quality
hotel located in the vibrant shopping and
entertainment district of Little India. With
its location on top of the Farrer Park MRT
station, the hotel will be well connected
to the city and the Central Business

11

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

Cambodia-Thailand joint visa gets
off the ground
A press release issued by Cambodiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s
Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced
that the visa can be obtained at diplomatic and consular missions of either
country and is valid for 90 days from date
of issuance, three times the validity
initially floated. Each visa will cost US$20.
Nationals of the following countries are
eligible to apply for the visa: Australia,
Austria, Belgium, Bahrain, Canada, China,
Denmark, Finland, France, Germany,
Greece, Hong Kong, Iceland, Ireland,
Israel, Italy, India, Japan, South Korea,
Kuwait, Luxembourg, the Netherlands,
New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Portugal,
Qatar, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates,
the UK and the US.
The joint visa is part of the AyeyawadyChao Phraya-Mekong Economic Coop

eration Strategy (ACMECS), a cooperation framework among Cambodia, Laos,
Myanmar, Thailand and Vietnam to utilise
member countriesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; diverse strengths and
to promote development in the subregion.
The launch of the ACMECS Single Visa

12

was held after the 8th Thai-Cambodia
Joint Committee meeting, reported
Xinhua News Agency.
Last September, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam had also expressed the
possibility of a single tourist visa, with
Thailand as a fifth partner in the scheme

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Events

India-Japan connectivity enhanced
MUMBAI – Guests travelling
on both Jet Airways and All
Nippon Airways can now fly
between Tokyo and Osaka
to various points across
India on connecting flights
operated by both carriers,
thanks to the codeshare
agreement concluded on
December 3, 2012
MUMBAI – Guests travelling on both
Jet Airways and All Nippon Airways can
now fly between Tokyo and Osaka to
various points across India on connecting flights operated by both carriers,
thanks to the codeshare agreement
concluded on December 3, 2012.
In addition to the existing codeshare
on All Nippon Airways Mumbai-Tokyo
direct flights, Jet Airways will place its
marketing code on All Nippon Airways
operated flights between Hong KongTokyo / Osaka and Bangkok-Tokyo.
Similarly, All Nippon Airways will place
its code on Jet Airways flights operated
between Hong Kong and Mumbai /
Delhi, Bangkok and Mumbai / Delhi /

opportunities to its guests and our

JetPrivilege members will earn JPMiles

codeshare agreement with All Nippon

for their entire journey when they fly

Airways is another distinctive travel

on Jet Airways codeshare flights from

solution. India and Japan share strong

India to Japan.

ties, ranging from leisure and business
tourism to commercial trade. Thanks to

Chiang Mai heads for Year of MICE
Chiang Mai will campaign for business tourists under the banner of
“Year of MICE 2013.”

TCEB board member and acting presi-

national MICE visitors Bt3,273.7

dent, Thongchai Sridama, said a joint

million from 427 MICE events in 2011.

public-private

sector

committee

convened by the Office of the National

TCEB

uses

ballpark

analysis

and

Economic and Social Development

estimates to gauge the value of the

promote the province’s MICE industry

Board gained approval from the Cabi-

industry. There are no exact reference

in the lead-up to the official opening of

net for the year-long campaign.

points other than surveys that often

the Chiang Mai International Conven-

use a low interview base.

tion and Exhibition Centre possibly in

The main emphasis will be supporting

April 2013. TCEB outlined its strategy

the city’s brand new convention centre,

Apart from declaring 2013 year of

for Chiang Mai during a “Meetings

due to soft open next month for a trial

MICE, the city has done little to firm up

Industry Day” late last week.

period to bring facilities and services

events or promote the convention

up to scratch.

centre overseas, possibly because of

With just 13 weeks remaining of 2012,

numerous construction delays that

TCEB is leaving the drafting of a Chiang

beset the project from the beginning.

Mai MICE Development Master Plan

“The province has potential to tap the
MICE industry. A 2011 survey valued

(2012 to 2016) to almost to the last

at

But an effort to kick-start the campaign

Bt3,355.9 million generated by events

is now on the way as TCEB and the

in both the domestic and international

Tourism Authority of Thailand join

“The city also has potential to grow as

markets,” Mr Thongchai explained.

hands with tourism and business asso-

an event destination for the Greater

ciations to organise a brainstorming

Mekong

“MICE summit” this November.

(Bangladesh,

Chiang

Mai’s

MICE

industry

Of that income, 19,261 domestic MICE
travellers are estimated to have generated Bt82.19 million and 40,718 inter

16

minute.

Sub-region,
India,

BIMSTEC

Myanmar,

Sri

Lanka, Thailand, Bhutan, and Nepal)
The summit will look at ways to

nations, and ASEAN countries,” he said.

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

UNWTO endorses ecotourism
A landmark resolution recognising ecotourism as key in the fight against poverty, the protection of the environment
and the promotion of sustainable development has been adopted by the United
Nations General Assembly.
In a significant acknowledgment of tourism as a
tool for promoting sustainable development, the
UN General Assembly unanimously adopted a
resolution stressing ecotourism’s role in the fight
against poverty and protection of the environment.
The resolution, entitled, “Promotion of ecotourism for poverty eradication and environment protection”, calls on UN member states to adopt
policies that promote ecotourism highlighting its “positive impact on
income generation, job creation and education, and thus on the fight
against poverty and hunger ”.
It further recognises that ecotourism creates significant opportunities
for the conservation, protection and sustainable use of biodiversity and
of natural areas by encouraging local and indigenous communities in
host countries and tourists alike to preserve and respect the natural and
cultural heritage.
“UNWTO welcomes the
adoption of this resolution
on the importance of
ecotourism,” said UNWTO
secretary-general,
Taleb
Rifai.
“The
remarkable
support that the resolution
has received, from all
regions and across the
development spectrum, is a
clear
testimony
that
sustainable tourism has a
* * in a fairer
vital role* to* play
and sustainable future for
all.”
18

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

TripAdvisor is PATA’s new
Strategic Partner

visor invaluable insight and access as it
expands its engagement across the Asia
Pacific travel world. PATA will work with
TripAdvisor to add real value and insights
for the benefit of both partners. The
world is going digital, mobile and more
consumer direct. TripAdvisor will help
PATA Next Gen stay at the cutting edge of
travel industry engagement.”

The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA)
are pleased to announce TripAdvisor™ as
a new PATA Strategic Partner. TripAdvisor,
the world's largest travel site, offers
trusted advice from real travellers and a
wide variety of travel choices and planning features with seamless links to
booking tools. TripAdvisor has the largest
travel community in the world with over
60 million unique monthly visitors and
sites in 30 countries worldwide.

Cindy Tan, vice-president of Display
Advertising Sales, Asia Pacific at TripAdvisor said: “We are excited to be partnering
with PATA, a leading tourism and travel
authority in the region. With more than
75 million reviews and opinions on more
than 1.8 million hospitality businesses,
TripAdvisor is more than equipped to
share valuable insights for travellers as
well as hospitality businesses that are
part of PATA.”

The partnership will enable PATA and
TripAdvisor to collaborate on joint initiatives such as surveys, reports and data
sharing. TripAdvisor data and insights will
appear
on
PATAmPOWER,
the
association’s mobile travel intelligence
service for members. There will be
opportunities for engagement between
PATA and TripAdvisor in publishing,
research, surveys, events and advocacy.

20

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

Celebrity Cruises launches
Asian season

Singapore and Hong Kong as homeports

Celebrity Cruises has recently launched
her Asian season with Celebrity Millennium. The 91,000-gross registered tonne
ship has arrived in Singapore for the first
time for two overnights while ending her
17-night cruise from Sydney and starting
her first cruise in Singapore tomorrow.
From this December to April 2013,
Celebrity Millennium will visit nine countries, which include Vietnam, Thailand,
and China. There will also be a series of
14-night one-way cruises between
Singapore and Hong Kong, including
overnight stays in ports like Bangkok, Ho
Chi Minh City, and Halong Bay. From
Singapore to Bali, the season brings two
14-night round-trip sailings in January
2013.
There were also exchanges between
Neeta Lachmandas, assistant chief
executive of Singapore Tourism Board,

Melvin Vu, CEO of SATS-Creuers Cruise
Services and captain Zisis S Taramas of
Celebrity Millennium, at the official
ceremony.
Jennifer Yap, managing director, Singapore of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
said, “Celebrity Cruises has long been an
established brand amongst Asian cruisers and with this first Asian season on

Celebrity Millennium, we are able to
bring its award-winning, luxurious cruises
to more of its fans here. Celebrity’s entry
today also marks the expansion of our
company’s presence in Asia together with
our two other brands Royal Caribbean
International and Azamara Club Cruises,
allowing us to cater to a wider spectrum
of customers.”
The 2,158 guest Celebrity Millennium
underwent a major renovation this year,
with renowned Solstice Class features
which includes the AquaClass staterooms, Blu the ‘spa’ restaurant, ‘uniquely
unordinary’ Qsine restaurant, and stylish
creperie Bistro on Five and Cellar Masters
with a bold collection of wines from
around the world. With a wide selection
of cuisines, guests can indulge in
Celebrity’s exquisite cuisine, unparalleled
service of a guest-to-staff ratio of nearly
two to one, stylish accommodation, the
luxurious spa, unique entertainment,
destination-rich regional itineraries and
more.

22

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Events

Ascott Waterplace Surabaya
to open in 2014

Ascott’s 10th property in Indonesia, first Ascott-branded serviced residence in Surabaya
SINGAPORE – CapitaLand’s wholly-owned
serviced residence business unit, The
Ascott Limited (Ascott), has clinched a
management contract for its first Ascottbranded serviced residence in Surabaya.
The premier Ascott Waterplace Surabaya
will offer 181 apartments when it opens in
2014.
It will be Ascott’s third property in Surabaya, after Citadines Marvell Surabaya
and Somerset Surabaya Hotel & Serviced
Residence. This also reinforces Ascott’s
position as the largest international
serviced residence owner-operator in
Indonesia, with over 2,200 apartment
units across 10 properties.
Alfred Ong, Ascott’s managing director
for Southeast Asia and Australia, said:
“Ascott sees tremendous growth potential
in Indonesia, Southeast Asia’s largest
economy, which attracted a record
foreign direct investment of S$7.2 billion
in the third quarter of 2012. Besides
having a strong foothold in Indonesia’s
24

capital of Jakarta, we are expanding our
presence in Surabaya with our flagship
Ascott brand. Surabaya is Indonesia’s
second largest city and home to the main
seaport for the eastern part of the country. Its growing commercial, manufacturing and meetings and conventions sectors
are attracting both international and

domestic business travellers. The exclusive Ascott Waterplace Surabaya which
offers luxurious accommodation, business
support and personalised services, will
complement our existing properties and
cater to the rising demand for
international-class accommodation in this
city.”
The 32-storey Ascott Waterplace Surabaya will provide business travellers a
choice of one-, two- and three-bedroom
apartments. Each spacious and luxuriously furnished apartment offers a fullyequipped kitchen, separate work and
living areas and modern amenities such as
home entertainment system and wireless
Internet connectivity. Most apartments
also come with their own private lift
access. In addition, residents can enjoy
facilities such as two outdoor swimming
pools, a gymnasium and residents’ lounge
in the property.

Tourism Asia | January 2013

News & Views

Etihad launches Wi-Fly,
Qantas axes Wi-Fi
Availability of the internet on board –
particularly when you’re on a long haul, is
a comforting option to have, whether you
are a business traveller or on a vacation.
For airlines, it’s about cost and customer
service. Find out why one airline introduces the inflight internet while another,
axes plans on carrying it on board.
We received news on the launch of Etihad
Wi-Fly today – an inflight internet and
mobile connectivity service on board
United Arab Emirates' national carrier,
particularly on the A330-200. This will be
the aircraft that will be used for long haul
destinations such as Brisbane, Brussels,
Dublin, Manchester, Munich, Frankfurt
and Milan. The airbus took flight today
for Brussels, offering high-speed broadband Internet connectivity as well as data
and mobile phone services.

ames Hogan, Etihad Airways president and chief executive officer, said: “’Etihad Wi-Fly’
is a result of the 10-year, US$1 billion agreement we signed with Panasonic Avionics in
November 2011. We continue to invest in our product and consider ways to offer our
guests the most engaging and dynamic inflight entertainment options. The broadband
Internet is high-speed, in line with what our guests would experience at home or at
work, so we believe this will be hugely popular.
“By the end of Q1 2013, we will have 10
‘Etihad Wi-Fly’-equipped aircraft, and I
am pleased to announce that by the end
of 2014, every single Etihad Airways
aircraft will be equipped for inflight
connectivity.”
A spokesperson from Qantas has attributed it to the flight timing – most are
red-eyed flights which explains why
passengers prefer to get their forty winks
than work on their laptops or surf the
web. Cost may also be a factor. Various
data packages are priced at AU$12.90
(US$13.45) to AU$39.90.
That said, the airline is working on
improving its connectivity on ground –
providing better access at the airports
and lounges.